The Week In News, But Shorter
June 8 – 15, 2026

A Weekly PropTech Newsletter bringing you industry updates from across the real estate spectrum

This week, a Modern Retail piece discussed malls across the US staging big World Cup activations; from multiweek fan fests and watch parties to branded pop‑ups, food booths and beer gardens. Because the tournament concentrates attention, travel, and disposable time into a 39‑day window that can boost turnout, dwell time, and sales, the takeaway for owners is to treat these moments as deliberate experiments. Design measurable activations, track foot traffic and conversion, learn what drives repeat visits, and iterate quickly—so you convert event-driven spikes into lasting habits rather than one-off crowds. The World Cup is certainly a prime event to take advantage of, but even local community events provide this opportunity.

Also this week, a term we used to use all the time but haven’t in quite a while made a comeback: Ghost Kitchens. We also continue to see the expansion of drone delivery, and no surprise, but leaders in AI adoption tend to be leaders in other areas as well. Find us over on LinkedIn.

Digital Meets Physical

Macy’s Just Confirmed That Ask Macy’s Is Converting. Bloomingdale’s Is Next. [AIM] Macy’s Ask Macy’s assistant shows higher conversion rates for engaged users since its March 2026 launch. CEO Antony Spring highlights favorable initial responses, indicating successful AI integration in shopping. Bloomingdale’s will adopt the Ask Macy’s platform, signaling a strategic expansion into luxury retail.

Walmart, Wing add 7 markets to drone delivery expansion plan [GroceryDive] Walmart is bringing its drone delivery coverage with Wing to seven new markets as part of an ongoing growth plan. The metro areas covered by the expansion include New Orleans, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area, Salt Lake City, and Memphis, Tennessee. Wing’s goal is to begin operations in the new markets by 2027.

EXCLUSIVE: AI maturity provides retailers tangible benefits [Chain Store Age] Retailers that lead in artificial intelligence lead in other areas as well. Analysis from Accenture and the AI-Driven Enterprise Institute (AIDE) indicates that the most “AI-mature” retailers — those with stronger AI leadership, strategy, organizational alignment and implementation from publicly observable data — are reaping quantifiable ROI from their AI investments.

Dollar General’s Profitable Delivery Business Spurs Subscription Pilot [WWD] Dollar General is delivering more than 80 percent of its orders from stores in one hour or less, with 40 percent of those orders delivered in under 30 minutes. The Dollar Store unveiled it is planning a pilot of a delivery subscription program later this year.

More than half of consumers plan to shop in-store for Father’s Day gifts [Chain Store Age] Experiences and subscriptions are playing a key role in consumers’ Father’s Day gifting strategies – but in-store shopping is still important. A majority (70%) of consumers agree fathers prefer experiences and quality time over traditional gifts, and 51% plan to purchase experiences as part of their Father’s Day celebrations.

Retailers turn to AI for productivity, personalized shopping [RetailDive] Retailers are betting on AI to improve the customer experience, enhance decision-making and personalize shopping. Best Buy, Gap and Dick’s Sporting Goods highlighted new ways in which the companies are incorporating the technology into their internal workflows and how customers interact with the brands, executives said during their earnings calls last week. C-suite leaders also spoke to how the technology is changing the landscape of their industries.

PropTalk

Malls break down their World Cup strategies [ModernRetail] Malls near soccer stadiums are kicking things up a notch, when it comes to marketing around the FIFA World Cup. Shopping centers in U.S. markets from Miami to Los Angeles are creating special programming to attract tourists and locals heading to matches.

Apple says these malls got so bad it’s leaving [Fast Company] The countdown is on for Apple’s devoted flock: Later this month, the tech giant will permanently close three stores in California, Connecticut, and Maryland. The company confirmed the store closures back in April, blaming “the departure of several retailers and declining conditions” where they are located.

Explore and indulge at the 10 best shopping centers in the US [USA Today] There was a time when if you wanted to go shopping, enjoy a terrific dinner out, and take in some top-shelf entertainment, you’d have to drive to at least three different places. Thankfully, those dark days are behind us. Shopping centers bring together a diverse selection of places to shop, eat, and play in a single convenient location.

500 brands to participate in Simon’s National Outlet Shopping Day [Chain Store Age] For the fifth straight year, 90 of Simon’s Premium Outlets and The Mills locations will be celebrating National Outlet Shopping Day. The nation’s largest shopping center operator reports that this year’s event — running from June 11-14 — will be the biggest yet, with some 6,000 offers from more than 500 retail brands.

Chick-fil-A expands its ‘ghost kitchen’ model with new delivery-only store in Florida [Fox Business] Chick-fil-A is expanding its footprint in the Sunshine State with a new delivery-only “ghost kitchen” in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood, marking a strategic move to bypass the real estate constraints of traditional brick-and-mortar restaurants.

AI Tenant Demand Drives Manhattan Toward Strongest Leasing Year in Two Decades [Propmodo] Manhattan is on track for its strongest office leasing year since 2000, driven by artificial intelligence companies that leased 1 million square feet in the first quarter alone. That volume exceeded all AI leasing in 2024. AI firms captured 56% of tech-sector leasing in the first quarter, more than double their 2024 share, according to Cushman & Wakefield.